Friday, July 5, 2013

I was a scheduled induction because I went past my due date. So we got to the hospital at 6 AM on the 28th. I got all set up in my L&D room, changed, hooked up to monitors and then to IV fluids, had my bag of water artificially ruptured by my OB and at 8:30 they started my Pitocin. I was started off small: 2 milliunits... They said I was having contractions before they even started the Pit but apparently I just wasn't feeling them. Don't worry, though, the Pitocin took care of THAT!! As I was laying in the hospital bed I started having contractions but they were manageable and I just had to take a few deep breaths to get through them. They weren't anything too serious.

About 20 minutes later I was upped to 4 milliunits of Pit. At this point is when I started to really feel the contractions. I really had to breathe through these and I was definitely in pain. I went ahead and asked for the birthing ball and sitting on that and rolling around really helped me. Also, Ryan was massaging my lower back and holding my hand through the contractions. He was amazing.

Fast forward another 20 minutes and I was upped to 6 milliunits of Pit. I wanted to die. You hear about women being induced and that the Pitocin makes the contractions worse and much stronger and let me tell you, they ain't lyin' ok? I was trying to hold off on the epidural for as long as I could so that I could dilate and efface more because some studies have shown that getting the epidural too early can slow down labor and/or increase your chance of having a C-section (which I was already at an increased risk for since I was induced). But about 4-6 contractions in, I was crying through them, breathing so hard that my mom and Ryan had to remind me not to hold my breath and to please breathe in, and shaking after the contractions were over. Ryan told me that maybe it was time to stop trying to be brave. So I grabbed my call light and, in tears, told him "There's a button on my remote that says "PAIN" and I pushed it!!"

My 2 nurses promptly arrived, asked if I felt it was time for the epi and they called the CRNA and Anesthesiologist. When they started my epidural I remember they kicked Ryan and my mom out. That made me cry but my attention was diverted quickly and when the anesthesiologist came in, I don't even remember him introducing himself. He could have told me his name was Santa Claus and I would have told him to just hurry.

He gave me the epidural (while one of my AMAZING nurses held my hand, told me to breathe and told me about her kids as well as that once I saw my baby, all the pain would be worth it) and they had me lie down in bed to wait for the epi to take effect. About 15 minutes in, I was still really feeling some pain and the anesthesiologist decided I was a very tall girl and needed an extra bolus dose. He hooked something up, put a remote with 1 button in my face and told me to push it when he said and then every hour thereafter. BLESS this good man's heart. He gave me extra drugs.

Shortly thereafter I would not have realized, nor cared, if someone had chainsawed my legs off. I felt wonderful. I was instructed to take a nap because pushing was going to take a lot out of me. So I laid down, fell asleep and was awakened about an hour and a half later so my doctor could check me. Imagine my surprise when she said: "It's time to have a baby!"

I had jumped from 4 cm before the epidural all the way to 10 cm after it and was now about to meet my daughter!! I pushed for 30-45 minutes and Myla was born. In total, from the time my contractions from Pitocin began to the time of Myla's birth, I labored for about 5.5 hours. Also, due to the bolus dose I received in my epidural, I did not even feel my contractions or any pressure or pain as I was delivering. I could not imagine a better, more amazing birthing experience. The biggest shock about her birth? That she is blonde!! Yep. That's right, I have a little Barbie girl.

Ryan and I are SO in love with our little girl. Here are some pictures from our delivery.

Maternity clothes?: The top in this picture is not maternity lol I got it from Forever21 when I was a freshman in college like 6 years ago!!

Stretch marks?: Been lucky, still no stretch marks.

Sleep?: Nothing I didn't anticipate, still uncomfortable to roll over and to get out of bed.

Best moment this week?: Ryan and I walked like 2.5 miles tonight and halfway back home he said "Man you need to have this baby soon because I can't keep going out for walks like this!" Haha wuss ;-)

Movement?: Just the same as always.

Food cravings?: Sweet stuff!

Food aversions?: I have yet to have any!

Labor signs?: I wiiiiiiiish

Belly button in or out?: Still out.

What I miss?: Fitting into my bathing suit, honestly. It's so hot out and I just wanna go cool off at the splash pad with rhys but none of my old suits fit me.

What I'm looking forward to?: Ryan and I might take Rhys on a last little family get together at the beach this weekend. Just something for us to do as a family before the little princess makes her arrival :-)

How far along are you?: 40 weeks... AND COUNTING since my due date was on MONDAY!!

Total weight gain?: 32 lbs. No weight changes from last time. I did not have a dr's appointment this week though since I am scheduled for induction this week.

How big is baby?: She should be coming in around 7 1/2 if she is "normal" sized.

Maternity clothes?: Same ones as always... They seem a bit tighter now hmmm.

Stretch marks?: I think I noticed a few this week but only because my skin looks shinier there and if anybody else is looking, they can't see it. They'll probably be slightly visible after I have her, who knows.

Sleep?: I have like one good night of sleep left because Thursday I will probably be too excited and nervous to sleep very well.

Best moment this week?: Scheduling the induction. I will be 40 weeks 4 days at my induction on Friday. Typically they wait til 41 weeks but Friday... Monday... big difference.

Movement?: Looks like I'm harboring an alien in my torso.

Food cravings?: Chocolate.

Food aversions?: Nada.

Labor signs?: Other than the fact that I am 2cm and 80% effaced but not having any freaking contractions other than Braxton Hicks, no not really.

Belly button in or out?: Still out.

What I miss?: My old jeans.

What I'm looking forward to?: FRIDAY!!!!
For anyone here locally in Houston with us who is planning to visit me and Miss Myla at the hospital, Ryan and I would like to let everyone know that we are not going to accept visitors on Friday except for a couple of people who have already been told exactly who they are. Other than that, everyone else will wait until Saturday. We will let everyone know once we are accepting visitors. And lastly, if you do visit, no children please. I'll be letting my nurses know of my desires so if you bring your kids you're not going to be allowed in at the security desk!! And just to clarify, "children" = anyone under the age of 18!! Even if you do not agree with our requests here, I ask that you please respect them.
And if you are our Facebook friends, look out for a post from either Ryan or me letting people know when we will be accepting visitors. Most likely we will text people, but keep an eye out anyway. Woo.... Now I can't wait until Friday!!!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Total weight gain?: 34 lbs. I can't quite keep track well because I don't own a scale so the only time I find out is at dr visits.

How big is baby?: Freaking huge. At my last appt my dr guesses about 6.6 or 6.7 and that was on 6/7.

Maternity clothes?: Ya and y'all have prob seen this outfit before since I refuse to buy more than like ten pieces of maternity clothing. It just doesn't make sense to me since its such a temporary wardrobe.

Stretch marks?: Haven't seen any yet.

Sleep?: Like last week, still getting up like 1-4 times a night to pee.

Best moment this week?: Being told that if I'm still preggers on my due date (6/24) then we will induce me that week... YES!!

Movement?: Tons of it. My baby is crazy. Plus she is kind of outta room in there.

Food cravings?: Ice ice ice.

Food aversions?: Nada!

Labor signs?: Braxton Hicks.

Belly button in or out?: Still out.

What I miss?: My feet not hurting all the time :(

What I'm looking forward to?: Being her momma.

And this week, we had big brother rhys in the picture with me!! As you can tell, he already gives his baby sister kisses. He is such a sweet boy and we love him to pieces.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

How far along are you?: 37 weeks. I'm full term and she could come any day now!

Total weight gain?: 27 lbs now

How big is baby?: Babycenter says the size of a watermelon.

Maternity clothes?: The clothes in this pic are not maternity. The pants are yoga pants from Victoria's Secret and the shirt is a Mossimo top from Target that I got on sale for $3 woohoo!!

Stretch marks?: Haven't seen any yet.

Sleep?: Getting up like 1-4 times a night to pee. Ugh.

Best moment this week?: Well I will give you a best moment of last week instead... Rhys put his hand on my belly and she happened to move right when he did and he screeched and was so intrigued! It was awesome. He then proceeded to put his ear up to my belly to see what she had to say. He's hilarious.

Movement?: Yes because she's hyper like her daddy haha.

Food cravings?: Hmm kind of. I'm craving certain smells more these days. Like WEIRD smells... Like the weird musty smell that comes from the A/C in your car when you first turn it on... Or the smell of motor oil. SO weird.

Food aversions?: I don't have any yet, if you can believe that. Trust me, I'm keeping my eye out for them.

Labor signs?: I have some sharp pains every once in a while but nothing that lasts long enough for me to time it and nothing that comes often enough for me to time it either.

Belly button in or out?: Out unfortunately. So out.

What I miss?: Pina coladas. I want one really bad these days. These hot, hot, hot summer days!!

I know we have not uploaded any blog posts or pictures in the past few weeks, again, CRAZY CRAZY life right now. But I will be uploading a couple of weeks tonight!! I am saddened to report, however, that we missed taking our 36 week picture. But don't worry: I'm still huge and getting huge-er by the day so you at least can count on that lol. With that said, I'll be uploading later tonight!!Thanks so much for keeping up with us and Miss Myla Ryann! :)Love,R & C

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Maternity clothes?: The tank and sweats in this pic are NOT maternity, I have just forced them onto my body :)

Stretch marks?: Still none woohoo!!

Sleep?: It's kind uncomfy these days.

Best moment this week?: Well tonight might be it because we are taking all our coupons, completion discount, employee discount, giftcards and cash to Target and buying everything we had left on the registry and still need for Miss Myla!! We are both so excited.

Movement?: As I've said before, alllll the time.

Food cravings?: Still ice cream... and ice... Which means I need to take my iron pills haha.

Food aversions?: Thankfully I have none!

Labor signs?: I thought maybe my water had broken the other day but it didn't haha I just freaked myself out.

Belly button in or out?: Bleggghhh out.

What I miss?: Bathing suits that fit me right!!

What I'm looking forward to?: Shopping tonight!Sidenote Update: I know that I did not update a 33 week picture and you'll have to excuse me because we did not take one. Last week was very hectic for me and Ryan. New house, I got a nursing job, and we had a huge health scare in the family that we have been dealing with and we were pretty much in small emotional little fragments last week trying to deal with all of this new stuff in our lives and between my crying blubbering breakdowns and his worrying we were just not able to get to the picture. But alas, here is this week's picture and we hope you enjoy our progress as much as we do. Only 39 days until our due date!! AAHH!!Also I just realized I spelled "cantaloupe" as "canteloupe" in our chalkboard and I'm very mad at myself and want to retake the whole thing. GRRRR >:(

Monday, April 29, 2013

How far along are you?: 32 weeks. Today marks the beginning of our 8th month!!

Total weight gain?: I'll go to the doctor this Friday and find out for sure then but I'd put it around 22 if I had to guess.

How big is baby?: 3.75 lbs and the size of a large jicama or papaya.

Maternity clothes?: Liz Lange for Target top. Also a nursing top, just like the one last week was.

Stretch marks?: Hoping they stay away.

Sleep?: Sleep is golden.

Best moment this week?: My baby shower was this past Saturday. It was owl themed of course and very amazing. Jessika, Lauren, Kim, Christina, my mom and everyone who helped at all did so good with it. The food was great, the people who showed up were great and we got some really awesome things for Myla!! When Ryan saw it all he was really excited.

Movement?: Haha tonight Ryan saw her stretch out across my belly and it creates this lopsided lump where her little body is and he was just in awe. I love those moments.

Food cravings?: Sweets, ice cream, and still loving water.

Food aversions?: Food couldn't avert me if it tried.

Labor signs?: Not yet.

Belly button in or out?: You should know by now that this is my least favorite question. It's out. 100% out.

What I miss?: Dos Equis. Yes, this week we got specific. When GayLynn was here this weekend we went to The Spot for lunch on The Strand and she had a draft one. Well I took a taste and I cannot believe how good it was. I mean really I don't ever remember it tasting that amazing. I now know what my first post-pregnancy adult beverage will be!

What I'm looking forward to?: Seeing Ryan hold his little girl for the first time. I think it will be magical watching him hold the little baby that is going to hold his heart in her chubby pink hand <3 font="">3>

Friday, April 26, 2013

How big is baby?: 3.3 lbs and the size of a pineapple... Mmm that gets me thinking of all the fruity drinks I can't have.

Maternity clothes?: Liz Lange for Target top $19.99. As an added bonus, it's also a nursing top!

Stretch marks?: Haven't found any this week either.

Sleep?: It's interesting. I woke up the other night because my arm was numb. I had somehow rolled onto my back and I guess she was cutting off all my circulation.

Best moment this week?: I can't think of one so here is my alternative: I passed by a full-length mirror and wow. I don't care if the whole universe says I'm not fat, this is the biggest I've been all my life and when I saw my reflection I did a double take to make sure that the beached whale I'd just seen was truly me. Much to my dismay, of course, it was. Oh I just thought of a good moment... my friend GayLynn from nursing school will be here in about 20 minutes from Stephenville!! She came all the way out for my shower and is staying this weekend. Love her!!

Movement?: All the time but I bet she is getting pretty cramped in there haha.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Total weight gain?: This is tricky. The scale at my house broke (not from me haha) and I weighed myself at Ryan's mom's house and her scale told me I weighed 136.5 which puts my gain at 16.5 lbs but the next day at the doctor's office their scale said I weighed 139. I guarantee you I did not gain 2.5 pounds overnight. So I guess to be safe we can say 17 lbs?

How big is baby?: Almost 3 lbs and the size of a head of cabbage and as long as a cucumber. So say my babycenter emails anyway :)

Maternity clothes?: Yep! The dress in this picture is not maternity, though. I got it for $2.50 from Old Navy. Holla!

Stretch marks?: Haven't found any this week.

Sleep?: Sleep sucks. I am so uncomfortable unless I lay on my left side.

Best moment this week?: I got a manicure today and while I was sitting in the massage chair, Myla was completely motionless. She liked it! I know because a minute or two after the chair turned off, she started kicking around again. I guess that means she will fall asleep pretty easily in a bouncer.

Movement?: She rolls around all the time.

Food cravings?: I would cut someone for a DQ Blizzard.

Food aversions?: Everything is tasty.

Labor signs?: A few Braxton Hicks but just every once in a while and that's normal.

Belly button in or out?: Out. I don't even wanna talk about it :(

What I miss?: Wiiiiiiine.

What I'm looking forward to?: Having my baby girl in my arms. Only 10 more weeks, give or take!

Sleep?: My back is killing me when I wake up nowadays. And by that I mean when I wake up for the day, not counting any of the multiple times I wake up during the night sore and uncomfortable.

Best moment this week?: Being told my belly was "perfectly round" haha :)

Movement?: Yeah she's a big rolly polly.

Food cravings?: Haven't had any.

Food aversions?: Nothin'.

Labor signs?: No... I may have had some BH earlier this week but I'm not real sure because they were so short and I was preoccupied talking to a friend.

Belly button in or out?: it's like 90% out now. It's awful.

What I miss?: Sleeping comfortably.

What I'm looking forward to?: My baby shower is on the 27th. I am very excited!We are down to something like 75 days until my EDD y'all. This is exciting. It's literally like 10 1/2 weeks away and I'm so terrified it's not even funny. I'm excited to meet Myla but at the same time, I'm terrified of the process leading up. Speaking of her name, here is the final decision on the full name: Myla Ryann Sanders. We love it! (And yes we are aware her initials will be MRS lol)

Friday, April 5, 2013

So here we are. It's Friday and Ryan and I have not yet taken our picture for the week (which we typically do on Mondays) so it's looking like we are not getting to it this week. We are slackers, we know and we're sorry! He worked late a couple of nights this week and then we had a date night the next night and totally forgot about the pic and both kind of agreed we probably were not going to be taking the picture at that point. But I'll still update what I can! Just no picture this week, so sorry!!How far along are you?: 28 weeks. HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!!

Total weight gain?: 12 lbs.

How big is baby?: Had a growth ultrasound on Tuesday to check this so I know her exact weight: 2lbs 11oz!!! Atta girl!!

Maternity clothes?: Bought a couple more pieces this week. Maternity clothing has such a crappy selection. It's sad.

Sleep?: Myla doesn't like it when mommy sleeps, apparently. She makes it her personal mission to move around as much as possible when I lay down and to basically crush my organs if I decide to roll to my other side. So pleasant.

Best moment this week?: Seeing Myla on the ultrasound this week.

Movement?: Yes :) She is having hiccups now and it just cracks me up.

Food cravings?: All things salty are heaven.

Food aversions?: Nothing.

Labor signs?: No but sometimes I get sharp pains. I know they're not contractions though.

Belly button in or out?: The belly button betrayal is almost totally complete. It is almost entirely an outie now. I'm so grossed out/sad.

What I miss?: Being able to pop my back!

What I'm looking forward to?: I mean are we being honest, here? If we are, I miss not having heartburn so bad that I can't even lean over to do something without getting reflux. So nasty.And PS - anyone finding me through Pinterest, glad to see you here! Repin us!

Monday, March 25, 2013

How far along are you?: 27 weeks. This is the last week of my second trimester ahh!!

Total weight gain?: 11 lbs

How big is baby?: Babycenter says about 2 lbs now.

Maternity clothes?: Of course. Although, the black top I'm wearing in this picture was actually purchased for about $6 at Forever21 a few years back for me to wear to work. Because of the babydoll fit, I can still wear it now. Success!!

Stretch marks?: Not yet.

Sleep?: It's safe to say it's uncomfortable now. I pretty much have no choice but to sleep on my side and because of the way my body lays, I wake up just about every night with a sore hip... Which is just odd to me.

Best moment this week?: Went to a Dr's appointment last week and was told that since I dropped 2lbs she wanted to check my thyroid. Got the results back for that today and all is normal!! Good news!! Now I just have an ultrasound next week to check her growth and make sure it's all on track but I am confident it will be.

Movement?: Tons. She is a crazy woman.

Food cravings?: I'm craving sweets a bit more now.

Food aversions?: Nothing really.

Labor signs?: No sir-ee.

Belly button in or out?: It's getting to the yucky out position. I am totally creeped out by outie belly buttons and the fact that mine is doing that... I told Ryan "my belly button betrayal has begun."

What I miss?: Sleeping on my back!!

What I'm looking forward to?: Ryan is getting a new place soon and I can't wait to set up Myla's nursery. Oh yeah by the way, we decided we were too excited to keep her name a secret anymore so there have it - our JuneBug is going to be named Myla!! WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

How big is baby?: Babycenter says a pound to a pound and a half, or the size of a squash.

Maternity clothes?: Yeah. Dressin' that bump, y'all.

Stretch marks?: Nope and still hoping to ward them off.

Sleep?: Alright. Every once in a while baby girl will lay in a position that is really strange and it's really uncomfortable and I can't sleep.

Best moment this week?: Getting a *FREE* 3D ultrasound of JuneBug at my OB appointment yesterday because I participated in a study. It was really amazing and the medical student who was doing the US saw her and said "Wow! Look at those lips!" Haha yeah... She gets those from me. Gotta love those Spanish traits! When Ryan saw the picture he said she looked just like me.

Movement?: Yeah she moves around all the time, all day long. The Dr and med student doing my ultrasound study yesterday were cracking up because every time they thought they had a good shot to take for their study, she'd wiggle around. They told me I had an extremely active baby.

Food cravings?: Nothing really.... Gonna start an iron supplement though because I have physiologic anemia. Yay pregnancy... At least it's not Gestational Diabetes (I tested negative for that yesterday).

Food aversions?: Well as my heartburn gets more frequent, I need to try to stay away from pizza or other really greasy, spicy or otherwise unhealthy foods like that because when I eat them, I feel the fires of hell in my throat :(

Labor signs?: Nah.

Belly button in or out?: In

What I miss?: Drinking lots and lots of coffee.

What I'm looking forward to?: Ryan and I finding a new place to be all moved into when JuneBug gets here... We have something right now that's really exciting and if it all works out I am going to be so super happy :)

Just for fun, here's a pic I took yesterday of Ryan... In my glasses... Making a really attractive face. Just gotta love this man. I know I do. With all my heart.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

How far along are you?: 24 weeks babeh. That puts me at 6 months. Wow!

Total weight gain?: Around 11 pounds

How big is baby?: Just over a pound

Maternity clothes?: Yep. I scour for sales though because I think it's dumb to spend a fortune on a wardrobe that will only fit for a few months. For example, the tank top I'm wearing in this picture was purchased for $2.97 at Old Navy. Go ME!!!

Stretch marks?: Not yet but every once in a while, my tummy itches so... I'm sure they're gonna happen.

Sleep?: My back is starting to hurt when I wake up.

Best moment this week?: This past weekend when Rhys would run around and get excited, he would run up to my belly, put both his hands on it and babble things to his baby sister. It was so cute. He would even make little faces like if she knew what he could possibly be saying. It was the sweetest thing. A couple of other times, he would come lay in my lap and put his head on my belly like he was listening for her. I keep wondering what he is thinking.

Movement?: She kicks to me and daddy's voices. So in love with that.

Food cravings?: Mexican food ALL the time.

Food aversions?: No I will eat everything.

Labor signs?: No.

Belly button in or out?: In

What I miss?: I went shooting with Ryan on our anniversary on New Year's Day and now that baby girl is bigger and has developed ears, I have to wait until after she's born to have her daddy take me shooting again. Dang it! I really liked the feeling of shooting a gun!!

What I'm looking forward to?: Baby shower! Invitations go out this week. It will be small but that's okay. I've never been one to have a million acquaintances.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Maternity clothes?: Oh yeah. Just bought some maternity shorts for the summer. They're surprisingly cute. I say surprisingly because nothing in the maternity section is cute.

Stretch marks?: Nah uh.

Sleep?: Getting my Z's just fine.

Best moment this week?: Going shopping for something new to wear and coming back to Ryan's ranting about how nothing fits and almost crying. He laughed at me. It was kind of funny... I was about to cry because my tank tops didn't fit anymore.

Movement?: Same as ever, she kicks a ton after I eat.

Food cravings?: Sweets. Trying not to give in too much.

Food aversions?: Nope.

Labor signs?: No.

Belly button in or out?: Still an innie.

What I miss?: Being able to reach my feet to put on socks and shoes. It's like having a pillow strapped to me and reaching down to do things.

What I'm looking forward to?: Summertime!!

This week, the post has 2 pictures because Ryan took both pictures and loved my silly face so at his request, I added them both. Love you babe!

How far along are you?: 22 weeks!Total weight gain?: About 10 lbsHow big is baby?: The size of a papaya (which are gross and mommy hates the smell of).Maternity clothes?: Wearin' em like a champ.Stretch marks?: Nope.Sleep?: The internet says (so it must be true) that baby is awake about 12 hours a day now. As for me, I'm sleeping fine.Best moment this week?: Eating a Dulce de Leche cupcake that Ryan got me from Crave because he is the best boyfriend EVER and feeling her kick SUPER hard afterwards!Movement?: Well, obviously she likes cupcakes.Food cravings?: Any Mexican food. Same as last weekFood aversions?: Nope.Labor signs?: Nope.Belly button in or out?: Still an innie.What I miss?: A life that didn't involve taking so many Tums.What I'm looking forward to?: Seeing my little baby's face.I know that this week's post is a week late but I totally forgot to do it last week. It was a really stressful week. I have begun preliminary stages of baby shower planning and last week I was also dealt a devastating blow... my beloved poodle that I have had since I was 5 years old, Miss Peggie, got out of our fence and we haven't seen her since. I don't expect her to be found at this point so it was a little bit of an emotional week. As for the baby shower, invitations should be out soon and nobody make plans for April 27th because you'll be attending my baby shower :)

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

How far along are you?: 21 weeks!Total weight gain?: About 8 lbs now.How big is baby?: The length of a carrot.Maternity clothes?: Just got some more on my birthday. The shirt I'm wearing in this picture is one of them. Thank you, Ross, for having cheap stuff!Stretch marks?: Nope.Sleep?: She actually woke me up kicking the other night.Best moment this week?: Playing videos of Rhys's voice and her kicking a ton.Movement?: She kicks a lot after I eat sweets and when she hears Ryan's voice. Daddy's girl already.Food cravings?: Any Mexican food.Food aversions?: Nope.Labor signs?: No just some weird sharp pains below my ribs :(Belly button in or out?: Still an innie.What I miss?: My old jeans.What I'm looking forward to?: Warmer weather so I can start wearing dresses.We decided to do a little bit of an owl theme for Little Miss JuneBug. I'm so excited! Owls are adorable!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

How far along are you?: 20 weeks. That makes me 5 months today and means we are halfway there!!Total weight gain?: About 6 lbs.How big is baby?: Right above 11 ounces!Maternity clothes?: I need more...Stretch marks?: Not yet (thank you Palmer's Cocoa Butter Oil).Sleep?: Still doing good.Best moment this week?: Finding out the gender this past Thursday :) I know Ryan is SO excited to have his little daddy's girl! I love it.Movement?: She has been SO much more active lately! I mean kicking all day long. She's hyper like her daddy.Food cravings?: Mexican candies. Tamarindo to be specific.Food aversions?: Nope.Labor signs?: Nope.Belly button in or out?: Still an innie.What I miss?: Beer.What I'm looking forward to?: I love doing baby registry stuff...On a side note, I feel like I look ridiculously huge in this photo compared to last week. I had Olive Garden for lunch that day and maybe my lunch was making me look like I ate a basketball because I don't feel like I actually look that big on the regular. Who knows. However, after Ryan took this picture he definitely laughed and said "You're so pregnant." So maybe I do look that big. Denial? Perhaps.Also, we told Rhys this past Friday that the baby is a little girl and he is going to have a baby sister. He must've said "baby sister" a million times this weekend!! At church my mom asked him, "Where is your baby sister?" and he pointed to my tummy and said "There! BABY SISTER!!!" He gets really excited. He also decided he would yell at my tummy and tell her hi. It's safe to say he's pretty psyched about her and Daddy and I are hoping it stays that way.Love,Ryan and Clarissa

Monday, January 28, 2013

How far along are you?: 19 weeksTotal weight gain?: About 6 lbsHow big is baby?: The size of a mango. About half a pound now and 6 in long.Maternity clothes?: YepStretch marks?: Not yetSleep?: Doing great.Best moment this week?: Going out with Ryan and him introducing me and the baby. So sweet.Movement?:This past week, I felt the baby kick and told Ryan so he put his hand on my tummy and a couple of seconds later the baby kicked so hard that both of our mouths dropped! It was very cool.Food cravings?: Not really any this weekFood aversions?: Nope.Labor signs?: Nope.Belly button in or out?: Innie baybay.What I miss?: My cute clothes.What I'm looking forward to?: Finding out if we're having a boy or a girl this Thursday. AHH!!This week, a little shoutout to Baby Sanders's Nina and Nino (godmother and godfather) Omar and Christina. We asked my big brother and his wife if they'd do us the honor and they said yes. Yay!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

How far along are you?: 18 weeksTotal weight gain?: About 4 - 4.5 lbsHow big is baby?: The size of a sweet potato :) and really showing this week!Maternity clothes?: Only wearing maternity jeans now. I went and bought another pair at Ross because they have great cheap maternity stuff. I'm wearing them in this picture.Stretch marks?: Nope and I even bought cocoa oil yesterday to make sure I don't get them. (I hope it works)Sleep?: Alright except for waking up around once or twice a night to use the restroom. I used to never do that.Best moment this week?: Drinking a cup of coffee and feeling our JuneBug start kicking like crazy. Mommy is sorry, baby, but it tasted so good!Movement?: Oh yeah. I feel JuneBug all throughout the day and especially when I'm sitting down eating or going to sleep.Food cravings?: Milk still tastes strangely more amazing than I remember from 3 years ago when I suddenly couldn't stand the taste anymore.Food aversions?: Nope.Labor signs?: No.Belly button in or out?: InnieWhat I miss?: BrieWhat I'm looking forward to?: We find out baby's gender in 9 days and we are SO excited!And I just realized that our blog doesn't include our due date... It's the 24th of June. So hopefully we will have our JuneBug in time to enjoy some fireworks for the 4th of July!Also, in my journey to becoming a new mommy, I've been looking up the most efficient, cheapest and healthiest ways to do things for baby once he/she is here (can't wait til we know if it's a he/she next week!). I've decided that I'll be making my own baby wipes. I found the greatest tutorials on how to make them from baby wash, oils, water and paper towels. They even fit into those carrying wipes containers from Huggies and Pampers once you finish those out! I'm really excited about them because I will know all the ingredients that are in them instead of some harsh ones that could be in store bought brands and I will also save a bundle of money. Once you make homemade wipes, you could end up saving around $200/year in expenses on them. As an added plus, they're gentler on a baby's skin, depending on what wipes recipe you use, and you can easily make more when you run out and not have to worry about driving to the store.The other venture I plan on taking on is something I've kind of always wanted to do when I had a baby and that is making my own baby food. With all these tutorials and recipes and how-to's on the internet and different blogs these days, there's just no excuse for me to say I "don't know how" or I "don't have time" because it's just not true! It's just a little veggies and fruits steamed, mashed, frozen and voila! I probably sound like a hippie at this point but I swear to you I'm not. I really just want to be able to say I put my all into being the best mom I could be and to giving my JuneBug the best that he/she deserves.Not sure who all reads these blogs since they may come up on Google searches but if you're looking for homemade wipes tutorials I found some here, here, and here. I won't even bother posting the links to the homemade baby food sites I bookmarked because there are so many if you just Google it that you'd be amazed.Wow this was a really long post! Thanks for reading :)